Australia battles floods in two states

Australia is battling flooding in two states, as rescue teams worked to evacuate people from inundated areas.

In Queensland, more than 1,000 people were plucked to safety in the city of Bundaberg as the Burnett River burst its banks, flooding 2,000 homes.

In New South Wales there are concerns that the Clarence River, at a record high, could flood the city of Grafton.

Tropical Cyclone Oswald, which triggered the flooding, is now heading out to sea south of Sydney.

Four people are now known to have died in the severe weather, after a toddler who was hit by a falling tree in Brisbane died on Monday.

It comes two years after severe flooding in southern Queensland, including in the state capital Brisbane, that left 35 people dead and tens of thousands of homes flooded.In Brisbane, low-lying parts of the central business district were flooded but the impact on residential areas was less than expected, ABC News said.

In New South Wales, parts of which saw torrential rain on Monday as the cyclone moved south, 2,500 people were told to evacuate in the city of Grafton, where levees were threatened by rising water.